Today, more and more students are feeling the pressure to do well in school so they can continue their education in college. They’re constantly told that their future is dependent on doing well, as with a college degree they can get a good job and do well in later life. However, is this true for today’s students? This essay looks to find out whether they’d be better off going straight into work instead.

No one can deny that going to college is a valuable experience. Putting academic studies aside, it teaches students a huge amount about living alone for the first time, in a safe setting. For example, a student needs to learn how to stay within a budget, live with people other than their family, and manage their time effectively. There’s no better time to learn this than while in college, while mistakes can be made safely.

There’s also no argument that some careers need people to attend college first. Doctors and teachers, for example, need to attend college to gain the knowledge they’ll need to carry out their every day roles. College also offers the chance to go out and practice working in those roles. That means students have relevant experience to put on their resumes when they come to apply for jobs.

However, it’s not hard to see why some prospective students are turning away from the college experience. The biggest and most worrying problem is that of cost. College is prohibitively expensive for a lot of otherwise promising students. The cost of the education itself is steep enough, but there are other costs too. The costs of accommodation, food and other necessities for living mean that it just isn’t possible to attend college. Some students can take on jobs as they study to pay their way through, but it’s not possible for everyone.

It’s also becoming the case that college degrees are becoming less valuable out in the real world. Thanks to years of schools encouraging students to go on to college, there’s a glut of working people now who all have degrees. A hirer that’s looking through applications won’t be able to pick out a candidate based on their degree alone anymore. It’s more likely that they’re looking for life experiences, or concrete examples that the applicant has the skills they’re looking for.

It seems that college is still a valuable experience for anyone who attends, but for different reasons in today’s age. The experience of living away from home is crucial for many students. However, it may be more beneficial to go out into the working world rather than getting a degree, as they may be able to progress faster in their chosen field.

Going to university for the first time is a pretty exciting prospect. After 18 years of living with your parents and going to school every day, you finally get your first true taste of total independence – living on your own with the freedom to do whatever you want.

The practical side of preparing for university isn’t quite as much fun. Packing in particular can be a bit of a nightmare – what on earth do you need to bring to survive an entire year on your own?!

There are of course many “what to take to university” checklists out there, and while these are extremely helpful, they often don’t solve the whole problem. As every student has a vastly different experience, the items that are essential for some, may well be luxuries or unimportant to others.

For that reason it can often be much more useful to know what you absolutely DON’T need to pack…

1. Every Item In Your Wardrobe

For most new students, clothing forms the bulk of their luggage, as you’ll need enough pieces to get through every season and for the multitude of events and nights out.

It is therefore tempting to just dump your entire wardrobe into your suitcase and hope for the best, but this should be avoided if possible.

Not only is wardrobe space fairly limited in university halls, but you probably won’t end up wearing even half the items you bring. Most students will tell you that the majority of time is spent in comfortable clothes and loungewear. So as long as you have plenty of these garments along with a few more formal pieces and ‘going out clothes’, you’ll make it through.

2. Too Many Toiletries

A great rule when packing for university is to leave behind any item which you can easily and inexpensively replace when you get there. Toiletries are a good example of this.

Huge bottles of shampoo, shower gel and beauty products can take up quite a bit of weight, which can be especially crucial if you’re traveling to university by plane, where weight allowances are pretty strict.

3. Books

Although you might have hopes of being the most prepared and conscientious student, but try not to bring your entire collection of books, folders and old school notes with you.

University is somewhat of a fresh slate, meaning that your old school books won’t be of much use or relevance. And if it turns out that there is an old school textbook that you do absolutely need, you can use a student shipping service or a low cost courier to send it to you from home.

In addition, try not to purchase and pack your entire university recommended reading list ahead of your studies. Buying and packing all of these books before you leave is not only expensive, but also impractical. Books will weigh your luggage down and despite being recommended by your lecturers, most students often do not need to purchase every single title – some can be borrowed from the library or swapped between classmates.

4. Luxury Kitchen Appliances

In university halls and student accommodation, kitchen items such as kettles, microwaves and toasters will be provided for you.

Additional ‘luxury’ appliances such as rice cookers, panini makers and blenders etc should be left behind. Although it would be nice to have all the comforts of your kitchen at home, your kitchen at university will be shared and therefore the risk of damage or even theft is increased.

When it comes to kitchenware, simply bring the basics such as cutlery, bowls, plates and saucepans. If there’s anything else you need, you can usually purchase these things easily from a nearby department store or supermarket.

5. A Printer

Having your own printer seems convenient, in theory, but unless your course requires a significant amount of printing, it will be unnecessary unnecessary. Not only are printers difficult to transport, but the printers in your university and library will be just as handy.

Plus, when others hear that you have your own printer, you’ll soon be inundated with requests from friends to just print ‘one little page’ for them. These requests soon add up and the cost of replacing ink cartridges can be more expensive that the cost of university printing credits.

Many parents have concerns over how their child is educated. At the heart of these issues is that of class size. Numbers in classes have gradually risen over the last few decades, and now they feel we have reached crisis point. Numbers need to be reduced, they say, because at their current levels students’ education is being affected. This essay aims to find out whether reducing class sizes would actually lead to an increase in grades and productivity.

The main argument of those who argue for reduction of class sizes is that teachers can only do so much in a classroom. No matter how many students they have in front of them, they have to divide the same school day between them all. Bigger numbers mean they can’t spend as much time with each student, and so the student’s school experience suffers.

Smaller classes show that teachers suffer much less stress while in the classroom. Having to control and educate a larger group of students has been found to be draining on teachers, and when class sizes are reduced to manageable numbers, teacher retention in schools has been noticeably better. A teacher who has less students to manage can give much more of themselves to the students they do have.

It has also been found that when class numbers are reduced, the student’s relationship with their teacher improves dramatically. They feel they can engage more in a class, rather than passively listening. The smaller numbers mean they can feel more comfortable getting involved, and therefore learning more.

Of course, it’s not just as simple as reducing the numbers. Those against the idea of reducing class sizes say it’s not feasible in most schools’ budgets. To reduce numbers, schools would have to increase the number of teachers they have on their staff. With restrictions already on most schools’ budgets, they simply can’t afford to do this.

Thanks to these restrictions, schools have a long list of things they need to spend their money on. As far as they’re concerned, there’s plenty of items on the to do list that have to come before reducing their class sizes. For example, a school may need specialist equipment to accommodate a child with disabilities, or they may simply need to carry out urgent but expensive building work on the school property. When budgets are so tight, they have to rely on those larger class sizes to ensure that students are educated at all.

From these arguments it’s obvious that there’s no easy fix to the issue. Monetary issues appear to be the root of the problem. If schools could have access to bigger budgets, they could reduce class sizes. However, it would be down to governments to help them.

Everyone who’s ever attended college, or about to attend college, will agree that taking part in higher education is expensive. Most are able to fund their studies with loans, grants, and their own hard earned money, but not everyone can. Is it time that colleges were made free to all who want to attend?

Many student debt activists would argue that free education is beneficial to all. Keeping the price so high, they say, is keeping all but the elite few out of the college system. When only a few people can get such a quality of education, how does this level the playing field for the rest of the would be students out there?

There are certainly students out there who deserve a helping hand to get into college. Students who maintain top grades, but come from low income families, are one such example. They have the skill and know how to get themselves into college, but the high price is the one barrier that’s keeping them out. How is it fair to keep someone like that out, when they show such potential?

Free education would help those who are down on their luck, too. People who are homeless, single parents, or otherwise struggling to get ahead.

As great as these ideas are though, there are some drawbacks. Colleges are not cheap to run, and there is the question of how they would be funded if not through the students themselves. After all, the staff, as much they may like to, cannot work for free.

The best way to pay for a free college education would be through increased taxes. To fund every student’s studies, taxes would have to take quite a steep increase. Not everyone will agree with these increases, and it will be especially galling for those who have no interest in funding their own, or their children’s, further education.

Free college education will change the way students see higher education. As it stands now, it’s a goal that you work towards, because you know it’s worth it to develop the skills you need. With a free college education, it would certainly invite more applicants than ever before. Not all of those applicants will be as dedicated, and some may use the opportunity to put off thinking about their future, rather than to study.

It may be better to find a middle ground. The amount students currently pay is too high, so there needs to be a way to bring it down. A split should be made between the student and the state, meaning both have an equal stake and responsibility. This way, everyone who wants to has the chance at an education.

The issue of homework has always been one that’s been hotly contested between students and teachers. With homework levels increasing year after year, and the stress levels of students increasing, it’s been suggested that doing away with homework entirely would help students learn better when they’re in school. So, can homework help learning, or is it just busywork?

There are certainly a wide array of benefits to assigning students homework. In a busy classroom, a student may not have the time or the resources to be able to properly understand the concepts they are being taught. When they’re assigned homework that reinforces the ideas from the classroom, the student can work at it at their own pace, and begin to understand the theories they’re being taught.

As well as academic knowledge, homework also helps develop essential skills for later life. Having to do homework means that a student must develop time management, independent working, and research skills. Self reliance can’t easily be taught in a school setting, so homework is the best way of letting students develop it for themselves.
However, there are serious downsides to assigning homework. Students with supportive parents will be able to complete their assignments with ease, as they’ll have a suitable environment at home in which to study in, and can call on parents for assistance if and when needed. Not all students are lucky enough to have this arrangement, though, so homework creates a divide between those who do have support and those who don’t. This divide will affect the education of the students who don’t, through no fault of their own.

As well as this, homework can have quite a serious impact on a student’s social and family life. Just as an adult needs a good work/life balance to remain at their best in their job, a student needs time to relax, spend time with their family, and play. If they don’t get this, their performance at school can suffer dramatically. Burnout is a very real danger when it comes to homework.

Homework itself doesn’t appear to be the enemy, but the amount and the intensity of it is. Even teachers with the best intentions at heart can assign too much, causing problems for their students. It seems that the solution is not to abolish homework altogether, but to put limits on how and when it is assigned.

So, is homework harmful or helpful? It can be both, depending on the student’s circumstances, and how much homework is assigned to them. It can help them develop skills that would be difficult to nurture in the school setting, and it can give them the time and space to understand concepts that may have passed them by otherwise. On the other hand, it can have a serious effect on a student’s work/life balance, and can create a divide between the students who get support, and those who don’t. When assigned sparingly and with good reason, a good balance can be maintained and facilitate a student’s learning.